Saints coach Payton arrives at NFL office

The appeals have been heard. Now comes the wait for NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell to decide whether he will reduce any of the penalties in the New Orleans Saints bounty case.

Saints coach Sean Payton left NFL headquarters on Thursday after meeting with Goodell to appeal his one-year suspension for his role in the bounty system. Payton left without comment.

Earlier, the appeals of general manager Mickey Loomis and assistant coach Joe Vitt were heard.

Vitt and his lawyer, David Cornwell, met with Goodell for 90 minutes. Cornwell says Vitt understands he has to be held accountable, but they wanted to convey that the coach did not participate in a strategy to injure players.